The Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Committee on the Present Danger, two front organizations in the neoconservative network, will try and move a “military strike” against Iran a notch closer tomorrow.
Monday morning, 9:30 a.m., in SC-6 of the U.S. Capitol, war-profiteer and former CIA Director R. James Woolsey will be joined by former RNC Spokesman and President for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies President Clifford May and Arizona Senator (and staunch supporter of the recess appointed John Bolton) Jon Kyl to help roll out public opinion research that allegedly states that Americans support military action against Iran and its alleged nuclear weapons program.
Some may try and laugh this off — but it’s no funny matter.
James Woolsey successfully master-minded the mass communication fiction that Saddam Hussein was connected to the 9/11/2001 al Qaeda attacks in New York and Washington by alleging that connection on major news stations on the day America was under siege. And while connecting Iraq to America’s new terror problem, Woolsey failed to disclose that he was assisting his legal client Ahmed Chalabi who had everything to gain from a war against terror that included Iraq.
Woolsey & Co. are at it again on Iran.
From the press advisory:
As President Bush prepares to deliver his sixth State of the Union address (Jan. 31), the CPD (Committee on the Present Danger) will release a new Iran Policy Paper calling for stronger actions to prevent Iran — ruled by the most radical regime in the Middle East and a long-time sponsor of international terrorism — from acquiring nuclear weapons. The paper will argue that it is time to impose tough economic sanctions and to take action to promote regime change in Iran.
FDD (Foundation for Defense of Democracies) will release new polling data from Public Opinion Strategies showing that an overwhelming majority of Americans strongly opposes Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. In addition, most Americans would support the U.S. joining with other countries to initiate “a limited military action to destroy Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons.”
What is fundamentally disturbing about Woolsey’s move is that they coincide with other movement.
I cannot validate the accuracy of a report I have — but with the caveat that this may be erroneous information — TWN has been told that senior Congressional leaders, including senior Democratic officials, were given a top secret briefing on Tuesday, 17 January, on potential military options against Iran. No Congressional leaders have publicly stated that they received such a briefing, but others close to the intelligence community have conveyed that information to TWN.
This briefing date coincides with Secretary of State Rice’s meetings with European officials over next steps to take with Iran.
Another disturbing part of the brewing Iran problem is a classified Air Force bombing study that allegedly reports that it is possible for an American bombing campaign to destroy and/or incapacitate 85% of Iran’s nuclear program.
This study is classified but has been informally referred to repeatedly by many intelligence and American military officials. The study is not new and has been making the rounds for more than a year, but there seems to be significantly greater confidence in the report now than a year ago — and more celebration of the potential “85%” number.
Others in the government, the intelligence community, the nuclear weapons laboratories, and the military with whom I have spoken think that it is lunacy to adopt a highly confident position that the U.S. Air Force can knock out Iran’s nuclear program.
And stating the obvious, there has been no discussion of what such a strike might do to undermine America’s standing in the Middle East for years, if not decades and permanently.
There is much more that needs to be said about Iran — and I will be at it tomorrow. However, for now — people need to be aware that there is a serious effort underway to legitimate “early military action” against Iran.
This is a time when the “Nixon went to China” moment would be a presidential secret trip to Iran to hammer out new arrangements.
More on this tomorrow.
But those of you who may get a chance to hear Woolsey, Kyl, and May tomorrow, please drop us a line — and give Mr. Woolsey TWN‘s regards.
— Steve Clemons
